Socialization

Name: Noelle Pierce __Period:6___ __Date:11/17/10___ // The Social Self //

__Directions:__ Use the following graphic organizer to take notes on the three theories of socialization. In the third column, you should just take bulleted notes that outline the assumptions and beliefs of that particular theory. When you are done, please upload the file into your wikispace.


 * ** Theory ** ||  ** Theorist **  ||  ** Assumptions/Explanations/Beliefs **  ||
 * The Tabula Rasa || John Locke || The Tabula Rasa theory states that a newborn human being is born with a “clean slate” on which anything can be written. Our personality develops over time depending on our environment and surroundings. John Locke believed that humans can be molded into different characters and personalities. ||
 * The Looking-Glass Self || Charles Horton Cooley || Charles Cooley believed that perceptions of one depend on other people’s perceptions. He believes that other individuals act like mirrors, giving us insight on what we believe we act/look like. First, our minds imagine how we appear to other people. Then, we either confirm or make new perceptions of ourselves based upon others perceptions of how we are. ||
 * Role-Taking || George Herbert Mead || George Mead believes that we learn to see ourselves through the eyes of other people and use their perceptions of us to build our perceptions of what we look like. First, we internalize the expectations of other people. As we get older, we tend to disregard the opinions and perceptions of others and gain a strong sense of self. ||

What is role taking, and what three stages do children go through when developing the skills needed for role-taking? Role taking is when take or pretend to take on the roles of others through internalization of the expectations that others have for us. Small children under the age of 3 usually begin by mimicking the actions and personalities of adults. They imitate the actions of the people in their immediate environment such as family members. At about 3 years of age, children begin mimicking actions of other various people. They may play dress up, role play such as playing doctor or nurse, and tend to see the world through other people’s eyes. Once in school, children begin to role play often through games and interactions with many different people.

According to Mead, what are the two components of the self, and how are they related? The components of self, according to Mead are the “I” and “me”. The “I” is the un-socialized self interest component of personality and self identity. The “me” component is the awareness of others and their expectations of ourselves.

**   The Merchants of Cool    ** **  Statistics:    ** **  Questions to Consider:   ** **  Questions to Answer:   ** ** "In much the same way that the British Empire tried to take over Africa and profit from its wealth, corporations look at [teens] like this massive empire they are colonizingäAnd their weapons are films, music, books, CDs, Internet access, clothing, amusement parks, sports teams." -Robert McChesney ** 1. Are "cool hunters" and those who use the information they supply similar to colonial powers? Do they exploit teens or are they providing desired benefits and services? Yes, “cool hunters” are very similar to colonial powers because both realized the massive gain from two areas of life, and took advantage of those areas. The British Empire gained many resources from Africa, and the “cool hunters” gain business from the nieve and vast amount of teenagers and young adults. I think that companies are providing desired benefits and services for this generation. They are keeping up with the times and inventing services and products that appeal to the modern teen/young adult.
 *  There are 31.6 million 12-19 year-olds in the U.S. - the largest generation ever. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000)
 *  Teens are exposed to an estimated 3,000 ads a day. (Adbusters)
 *  65% of U.S. teens have TV sets in their own rooms. (Kaiser Family Foundation)
 *  83% of U.S. teens reported going online last year. (Teen Research Unlimited)
 *  Last year, U.S. teens spent an estimated $105 billion and influenced their parents to spend an additional $48 billion. (Teen Research Unlimited)
 *  In 1998, U.S. companies spent nearly $200 billion on advertising. Worldwide ad spending is estimated at $435 billion. (Advertising Age and the United Nations Human Development Report, cited in Klein)
 *  Who is the "storyteller"?
 *  What techniques are the "storytellers" using to tell their "story"?
 *  Why are they telling this particular "story" (what is their motive)?
 *  Who is the "story" for (who is the target audience)? Why is the "story" being told to that audience?
 *  Is the story accurate, fair, and complete? If not, what information or perspectives are absent and why were they left out?

** "They don't call it "human" research or "people" research, they call it "market" research." - Douglas Rushkoff ** 2. Did the marketers in "The Merchants of Cool" get it right? Do they really know you? If MTV was really based on understanding you as a person, what would it look like? I think the marketers did get it partially right with their approach to finding out whats cool and whats not cool. They have the right idea by interviewing teens and promoting focus groups to find out which products are in at the moment. However, I believe they targeted the wrong type of kids. The teens in the video didn’t have too much input and to be honest, they seemed like they didn’t know what was “in”. I don’t think they really know me because I don’t like a use a lot of things that teens use, such as video games. If MTV was based on me, it would be full of actual music instead of stupid television shows like Teen Mom.

** "The MTV machine doesn't listen to the young so it can make the young happieräThe MTV machine tunes in so it can figure out how to pitch what Viacom has to sell." - Mark Crispin Miller ** 3. Are marketers concerned with the well-being of the consumer? Do they answer to consumers? If not, who do they answer to? Is marketing to teens different from marketing to adults? Marketers are concerned with the well-being of the consumers only if it will bring in more money. Companies only concentrate on one thing: sales. If the customer is not happy, they will not buy the product, which is bad for business. To keep the customer happy means to bring in more money for the company and marketers. They definitely answer to the customers, because the customer is the one who decides whether or not the company has business. Marketing to teens is very different from marketing to adults because teens and adults don’t like the same types of things for the most part.

** "Quite simply, every company with a powerful brand is attempting to develop a relationship with consumers that resonates so completely with their sense of self that they will aspire, or at least consent, to be serfs under these feudal brandlords." - Naomi Klein* ** 4. Has seeing "The Merchants of Cool" led you to think about how you express your identity? What questions do you have? No, “The Merchants of Cool” has not changed the way I express myself because I express myself in any way I want without thinking about companies and products and advertisements. I wonder if there are any focus groups I could sit in on just to see what it is like?
 * This quote does not appear in the film, but is related to its content.